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Lucas Sims pitches a masterpiece as the Braves shut down the Mariners.

Lucas Sims is an Atlanta native. Growing up he had dreams of pitching for his hometown team the Atlanta Braves. Last night at SunTrust Park Sims won his second game in his big league career and his 2nd win in a row. Nick Markakis provided all the offense the Braves would need and smashed a solo homerun in the 4th inning. Markakis was not done yet at the plate and would pick up another RBI at the plate.

The Seattle Mariners are in the wild card hunt in the American League but last night their lineup could not figure out Lucas Sims or the Atlanta bullpen. Sims only allowed 3 hits over 6 scoreless innings and the home crowd gave him a standing ovation at the end of the 6th inning. The Braves fans keep showing up at SunTrust Park despite the Braves recent struggles. The Braves bullpen is finally starting to come together and closing the door on any late inning rallies from the opposing team.

Jose Ramirez, Sam Freeman, and Arodys Vizcaino are emerging themselves as the Braves closers from the 7th inning and beyond. The Braves pitching has to be key in the Braves lineup in order for the team to enjoy success again in Atlanta. Mike Foltynewicz, Lucas Sims, and Sean Newcomb have all enjoyed success this year in the majors. Julio Teheran and R.A. Dickey are the veteran starters in the Atlanta rotation and both of these pitchers are offering advice and showing the young rookies how to handle different situations at the major league level.

R.A. Dickey will pitch tonight in Atlanta as the Braves go for the series win. Freddie Freeman also had an RBI last night in the Braves victory. Brandon Phillips had 1 of the most interesting slides into 2nd base you will ever see. The television announcers described the slide as a swim sliding position. Phillips basically slide on the side of his body to avoid the tag. If you enjoy watching awkward plays, you might want to watch the slide on YouTube or on any baseball highlights reel. The Braves are looking to get back to an even record for the 2017 season and they are pulling out all the tricks in baseball to achieve that goal. GO BRAVES!!!!!